The invention relates to a method and an apparatus for making a plate-like fibre-reinforced composite product to be used as building or packing material. The invention also relates to a similar plate-like fibre reinforced composite product.
More particularly, the invention relates to a method for making a plate-like fibre-reinforced composite product to be used as building or packing material, the method comprising: placing fibres on a lower laminate, applying a foaming hardening binding agent in liquid form on the fibres so that the fibres are surrounded by the binding agent, transferring the fibres with binding agent between the lower laminate and an upper laminate between lower and upper pressing plates arranged to rotate endlessly on the upper, respectively the lower, side of the fibres with the binding agent so that the fibres with the binding agent are transferred by means of the rotation speed of the pressing plates, and allowing the binding agent to foam up, expand and harden between the upper and lower pressing plates
More particularly, the present invention also relates to an apparatus for making a plate-like fibre-reinforced composite product to be used as building or packing material, the apparatus comprising an inlet end for receiving fibres surrounded by binding agent, an outlet end for providing the plate-like fibre-reinforced composite product manufactured in the apparatus, an upper endlessly rotating belt comprising a plurality of upper pressing plates, which controlled by at least two elongated control elements extending in the longitudinal direction of the apparatus are arranged to move on an upper end-less track, and a lower endlessly rotating belt comprising a plurality of lower pressing plates, which controlled by at least two elongated control elements extending in the longitudinal direction of the apparatus are arranged to move on a lower endless track, whereby the upper pressing plates within an area of the upper endless track are arranged on a first substantially flat plane and the lower pressing plates within an area of the lower endless track are arranged on a second substantially flat plane, which is parallel to the first flat plane, whereby the upper and lower pressing plates within the area are arranged to transfer the fibres surrounded by the binding agent between them, feed means for feeding an upper laminate and a lower laminate in said area, the upper laminate is arranged to be supported in said area against the upper pressing plates and to move at the same speed as the upper pressing plates, and the lower laminate is arranged to be supported in said area against the lower pressing plates and to move at the same speed as the lower pressing plates,
More precisely, the present invention further relates to a plate-like fibre-reinforced composite product comprising fibres surrounded by a binding agent to be used as building or packing material.
Fibre-reinforced plate-like composite products to be used as building or packing material are known in the art. They may be provided with a protective cover, which in some cases simultaneously provide the product with a more pleasant appearance.
The problem with known fibre-reinforced composite products is that the manufacture thereof is complicated. They are also easily affected by moisture and variation in temperature, which may result in that the form of the products changes. The manufacturing methods, which are known in this connection, require considerable capital investments as well as an extensive production volume. In addition, the final product, i.e. the fibre-reinforced composite product, is subjected to excessive moisture fluctuation. An example of a known method for making fibre-reinforced composite products, such as chipboards, is the manufacture using a double belt press. The double belt press is a huge apparatus in which high-pressures, typically about 30 bar, and high temperatures, typically ranging between 150 and 200 degrees Celsius, are used. The investment costs as well as the operating costs of such an apparatus are considerable. In addition, the apparatus requires a lot of space.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,089,189 discloses a method and an apparatus for making plate-like composite products. The method and apparatus are complicated and they do not allow manufacturing economically profitably a thicker composite product that is suitable to be used as building or packing material.